Greetings All, I am new at this posting thing. I have a 2008 SS. Black. With many quality issues, from the brakes, to the headliner, to sensors, and especially the body. My front end looks ilke it was shot with a rifle. Anyone else have issues?? I have 36,000 miles on it. While I like the car and the engine runs great, these quality issues are horrible...

 

Welcome to the site. Unfortunately HHR stands for clunking, rattles, and cheap plastic interiors. Don't know how they came up with the H's though....

Yeah, all of these are unfortunately very common problems, that would be covered under warranty, but it looks like you are out of that... I've had mine in 3 times for a clunk in the front end, got it fixed again Monday, now I hear something rattling under the dash... They fixed the headliner on Monday too for a rattle in the sunroof bracket...

 

I'm going to assume your are referencing the paint here and if so I won't say a word. I've been down that road before BTW,

 

Oh, I just saw front end, and thought it was clunking.

Yeah, I think they shoot them at the factory actually. I don't know if I've ever seen an HHR with full paint on the front....

 

Full paint.



My only real issue is when it's real cold and I patch out it shuts down the ESC.
I keep rolling, put it in N, shut off the motor, start it back up, put it back in D & keep rolling with the ESC on now.
It's happened about a dozen times this winter.
I've only had to repeat the procedure once and the second time fixed it.
Unless it gets worse I'll have the stealership fix it just before the warranty runs out or if it ever needs to go in for a serious stay.

 

The Brake issue under sold start is resolved under a TSB.

The head liner is resolved with a TSB.

I never had a sensor issue?

The paint on the nose is not a quality issue. That is just life of a modern car. With all paint up front that is what is happening with most cars today. Also the new paints are not bullet proof due to goverment regs. Add this to the fact that many of the roads in this country are falling appart due to the lowest bidder. Sorry but the paint is not a quality issue nor just an hhr issue. I just saw a VW Beatle the other say that looked like it had been sand blasted.

THe HHR styling just get more hits as it as so much exposed front surface area. Also todays paints are water based and do not take impacts well. All the MFG are seeing the same issues. It all comes down to their so call Global Warming claims.

Many windsheilds are just as bad off as the paint.

Any interior rattles I have fixed faily easy. Most were in the center stack and console when it was very cold.

As it goes my SS has been very trouble free ands so far I have only has the head liner noise and the cold brake issue but both were repaired in short order for free.

 

hi Wayne,
this is Andy w/ the red SS in your neighborhood. you'll need to get the front end repainted & then get the " clearmask" plastic film. i installed it with help from my wife & the front end will look new forever. I had it on my 2001 blazer xtreme for 8 years & it worked great!

 

It sounds like the OPs issues are all known and addressed in various TSBs. I bought knowing these could occur so I don't see them as being a bunch of problems.

It seems once those are addressed on average the SS is pretty reliable.

 

i have had mine in for the headliner three times all the dealer does is glue it back and a week later back down again

 

Got just under 36K and no pitting. I live in FL and its weird but no love bugs for like 2 years now. Maybe if we had the love bugs I wouldn't see all the chipped paint up front.... (from another thread) It really does look like it was peppered with buck-shot